Prince Andrew’s playboy friend Peter Nygard says he is ‘cooperating’ with FBI probe into sex trafficking at his Bahamas mansion as he steps down as head of fashion empire
- Nygard, 77, is being investigated by the FBI for sex trafficking underage girls
- He is also being sued over claims he abused girls as young as 14 in the Bahamas
- The fashion executive is a citizen of Finland and Canada and counts Prince Andrew among friends
- A spokesman for him said he was eager to having his name cleared
- Andrew, who was stripped of his royal duties over his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, visited his Bahamas property in 2011
The FBI is investigating Peter Nygard for sex trafficking
Prince Andrew’s accused pedophile friend, Peter Nygard, stepped down as the head of his fashion empire after the FBI raided his offices as part of an ongoing probe into sexual trafficking.
Nygard, 77, is being investigated by the FBI amid allegations he abused girls as young as 14 on his private property in the Bahamas.
On Tuesday, agents flocked to the Nygard building in Times Square, where the Canadian business executive runs his operation.
It is not clear if he was there at the time but hours later, a spokesman for him said he had stepped down.
‘Recognizing the priority of the welfare of the thousands of Nygard employees, retail partners, loyal customers, vendors, suppliers, and business partners, Peter Nygard has made the decision to step down as chairman of the Nygard Companies and will divest his ownership interest.
‘The wonderful Nygard employees who rely upon the companies for their livelihoods must now be the priority. Peter Nygard thanks his employees for their years of dedicated service,’ his spokesman, Ken Frydman, said.
Frydman added that he was ‘cooperating’ with the investigation, saying: ‘Nygard welcomes the federal investigation and expects his name to be cleared.
‘He has not been charged, is not in custody and is cooperating with the investigation,’ he told ABC.
Agents reportedly raided the lobby and sixth floor of the building. On Tuesday, there was no one there to even man the company’s desk (above)
The exterior of the building in Time’s Square. There was no sign of Nygard
Six police vans were there and agents were spotted on the sixth floor of the building and in the lobby.
Earlier this month, Nygard was sued by a collection of women who say he raped and drugged them on the Bahamas estate Prince Andrew visited in 2011.
He denies the allegations. Ten women say they were raped by the mogul at the compound.
The women filed a class-action lawsuit against Nygard in the Southern District of New York last Thursday, which claims that he ran a ‘sex-trafficking ring’ at the island home.
The suit alleges that Nygard lured ‘young, impressionable, and often impoverished children and women’ to his Mayan-themed vacation home in the Bahamas with cash payments and promises to launch their modelling careers.
Once the arrived, the girls were entertained at so-called ‘pamper parties’ where Nygard would have bartenders spike their drinks with the date-rape drug Rohypnol.
Nygard allegedly kept a database with details about each guest, which he would consult before picking a ‘victim’ to target at the weekly parties.
Nygard’s empire is built on sportswear. His leggings are sold in stores that bear his name and also in Dillard’s. He is worth an estimated $750million.
He has long had a reputation for keeping young, attractive women around him.
Nygard with Prince Andrew on his Bahamas island in 2011
Nygard with Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson